Electronic device

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a circuit structure layer, a package structure, and an electronic element. The circuit structure layer includes a circuit layer and a plurality of first conductive pads. The package structure is disposed on the circuit structure layer. The electronic element is embedded in the package structure. The electronic element is electrically connected to the circuit layer through the plurality of first conductive pads. A thickness of the package structure is greater than or equal to 1.5 times a thickness of the electronic element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of and claims thepriority benefit of a prior application Ser. No. 17/083,318, filed onOct. 29, 2020. The prior application Ser. No. 17/083,318 claims thepriority benefit of China application serial no. 202010350313.5, filedon Apr. 28, 2020. The entirety of each of the abovementioned patentapplications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a partof this specification.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The disclosure relates to an electronic device, and in particular, to anelectronic device exhibiting a borderless design or having a largefunction region.

Description of Related Art

With the vigorous development of the electronic products, the electronicdevices are required to continuously facilitate development of theelectronic products towards providing narrow border designs, borderlessdesigns, large function regions (e.g., display regions), or highresolutions. Therefore, technologies applied to the electronic productsneed to be continuously enhanced.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides an electronic device exhibiting a borderlessdesign or having a large function region.

The disclosure further provides a fabrication method of an electronicdevice capable of fabricating the above electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, an electronic deviceincludes a circuit structure layer, a package structure, and anelectronic element. The circuit structure layer includes a circuit layerand a plurality of first conductive pads. The package structure isdisposed on the circuit structure layer. The electronic element isembedded in the package structure. The electronic element iselectrically connected to the circuit layer through the plurality offirst conductive pads. A thickness of the package structure is greaterthan or equal to 1.5 times a thickness of the electronic element.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a fabrication method of anelectronic device includes the following steps. First, a circuitstructure layer is arranged on a carrier substrate. The circuitstructure layer has a first side and a second side opposite to the firstside. Next, an electronic element is disposed on the first side of thecircuit structure layer. Afterward, a package structure is disposed onthe electronic element and the first side of the circuit structurelayer. The electronic element is embedded or encapsulated in the packagestructure.

To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodimentsaccompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitutea part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a fabrication method of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D are cross-sectional schematic views of thefabrication method of the electronic device according to an embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional schematic view of the electronic device ofFIG. 2D.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an electronic deviceaccording to another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an electronic deviceaccording to another embodiment of the disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The accompanying drawings are included together with the detaileddescription provided below to provide a further understanding of thedisclosure. Note that in order to make the accompanying drawings to bemore comprehensible to readers and for the sake of clarity of theaccompanying drawings, only part of the electronic device is depicted inthe accompanying drawings of the disclosure, and specific elements inthe drawings are not depicted according to actual scales. In addition,the numbers and sizes of the elements in each drawing are provided forillustration only and are not used to limit the scope of the disclosure.

In the following specification and claims, the words “comprising”,“including” or “having” are open-ended words and therefore should beinterpreted as “containing but not limited to . . . ”.

It should be understood that when an element or a film layer is referredto as being “on” or “connected to” another element or film layer, it canbe directly on the another element or film layer or be directlyconnected to the another element or film layer, or an inserted elementor film layer may be provided therebetween (not a direct connection). Incontrast, when the element is referred to as being “directly on” anotherelement or film layer or “directly connected to” another element or filmlayer, an inserted element or film layer is not provided therebetween.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, regarding the words such as“connected”, “interconnected”, etc. referring to bonding and connection,unless specifically defined, these words mean that two structures are indirect contact or two structures are not in direct contact, and otherstructures are provided to be disposed between the two structures. Theword for joining and connecting may also include the case where bothstructures are movable or both structures are fixed. In addition, theword “coupled” may include any direct or indirect electrical connectionmeans.

The terms “about”, “equal to”, “identical” or “same”, “substantially”,or “approximately” are generally interpreted as being within 20% of agiven value or range or are interpreted as being within 10%, 5%, 3%, 2%,1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range.

The ordinal numbers used in the specification and claims, such as“first”, “second”, etc., are used to modify the elements, and they donot imply or represent the (or these) elements have any previous ordinalnumbers, do not represent the order of an element and another element,or the order of a fabrication method. The use of these ordinal numbersis only used to clearly distinguish an element with a certain name fromanother element with the same name. The terms used in the claims and thespecification may not have to be the same, and accordingly, the firstmember provided in the specification may be the second member in theclaims.

In the disclosure, the thickness, the length, and the width may bemeasured by an optical microscope, and the thickness may be measuredfrom a cross-sectional image in an electron microscope, but it is notlimited thereto. In addition, an error may be provided between any twovalues or directions used for comparison. If the first value is equal tothe second value, it implies that an error of approximately 10% isprovided between the first value and the second value. If the firstdirection is perpendicular to the second direction, the angle betweenthe first direction and the second direction may be between 80 degreesand 100 degrees. If the first direction is parallel to the seconddirection, the angle between the first direction and the seconddirection may be between 0 degrees and 10 degrees.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by aperson of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood theseterms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the related art and the disclosure and should not beinterpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly sodefined herein.

It should be understood that in the following embodiments, the featuresof several different embodiments may be replaced, recombined, and mixedto complete other embodiments without departing from the spirit of thedisclosure. As long as the features of the embodiments do not violate ordo not conflict with the spirit of the disclosure, they may be mixed andmatched arbitrarily.

The electronic device may include a display device, an antenna device(such as a liquid crystal antenna), a sensing device, a light emittingdevice, a touch device, or a tiling device, but it is not limited. Theelectronic device may include a bendable and flexible electronic device.The appearance of the electronic device may be rectangular, circular,polygonal, or a shape with curved edges, or other suitable shapes. Theelectronic device may include a light emitting diode, liquid crystal,fluorescence, or phosphor material, other suitable materials, or acombination of the above material, but it is not limited. The lightemitting diode may include but not limited to an organic light emittingdiode (OLED), an inorganic light emitting diode (LED), a mini LED, amicro LED, or a quantum dot (QD) LED (e.g., QLED and QDLED), othersuitable materials, or a combination of the above, but it is notlimited. Note that the electronic device may be any combination of theabove. It should be understood that in the following embodiments, thefeatures of several different embodiments may be replaced, recombined,and mixed to complete other embodiments without departing from thespirit of the disclosure. As long as the features of the embodiments donot violate or do not conflict with the spirit of the disclosure, theymay be mixed and matched arbitrarily.

Descriptions of the disclosure are given with reference to the exemplaryembodiments illustrated by the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible,the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the descriptionto refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a fabrication method of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D arecross-sectional schematic views of the fabrication method of theelectronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3is a three-dimensional schematic view of the electronic device of FIG.2D. For clarity of the accompanying drawings and convenience ofdescription, several elements in the electronic device are omitted inFIG. 3 .

First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A together, in a fabricationmethod of an electronic device 100 provided by this embodiment, step S1is performed first. A circuit structure layer 130 is disposed (orarranged) on a carrier substrate 110 and a release layer 120, thecircuit structure layer 130 and the carrier substrate 110 is located attwo opposite sides of the release layer 120. In other embodiments, arelease layer s disposed (or arranged) on the carrier substrate beforearranging the circuit structure layer on the carrier substrate. In otherembodiments, the release layer 120 may selectively be not disposed. Insome embodiments, a seed layer (not shown) is located between thecircuit structure layer 130 and the release layer 120, and a material ofthe seed layer includes titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), other suitablematerial or a combination of the above. In this embodiment, the carriersubstrate 110 may include a rigid substrate. For instance, a material ofthe carrier substrate 110 may include but not limited to glass, quartz,sapphire, ceramic, other suitable substrate materials, or a combinationof the above. In this embodiment, the release layer 120 may be formed ofa polymer-based material, but it is not limited. The polymer-basedmaterial and the carrier substrate 110 may be removed in the followingsteps. In some embodiments, the release layer 120 may include an epoxyresin-based heat release material which may lose its adhesive propertywhen being heated, such as a light-to-heat-conversion (LTHC) releasecoating layer. In other embodiments, the release layer 120 may includeultra-violet (UV) glue which may lose its adhesive property when beingexposed to UV light.

In some embodiments, the circuit structure layer 130 has a first side130 a and a second side 130 b opposite to the first side 130 a. Thefirst side 130 a of the circuit structure layer 130 is away from therelease layer 120 or the carrier substrate 110, and the second side 130b of the circuit structure layer 130 faces the release layer 120 or thecarrier substrate 110. In some embodiments, the circuit structure layer130 may be a redistribution layer (RDL). The circuit structure layer 130may include a plurality of dielectric layers 131, a plurality of circuitlayers 132, a plurality of conductive vias 133, a plurality of firstconductive pads 134 located at the first side 130 a, and/or a pluralityof second conductive pads 135 located at the second side 130 b. Thedielectric layers 131 and the circuit layers 132 are stacked on therelease layer 120 and/or the seed layer. In some embodiments, theconductive vias 133 penetrate through at least one dielectric layer 131to be electrically connected to the circuit layers 132. In other words,the first conductive pads 134 and the second conductive pads 135 arelocated at two opposite sides of the circuit structure layer 130. Insome embodiments, the first conductive pads 134 may be electricallyconnected to the circuit layers 132 through the conductive vias 133, andthe second conductive pads 135 may also be electrically connected to thecircuit layers 132 through the conductive vias 133. In other words, thefirst conductive pads 134 may be electrically connected to the secondconductive pads 135 through the conductive vias 133 and the circuitlayers 132.

In this embodiment, a distance D1 between two adjacent ones of theplurality of first conductive pads 134, a distance D2 and/or a distanceD3 between two adjacent ones of the plurality of second conductive pads135. The distance D1 is less than the distance D2 and/or distance D3.The circuit structure layer 130 may be a vertical fan-out circuitstructure layer.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B together, step S2 isperformed, an electronic element 140 is disposed (or arranged) on thefirst side 130 a of the circuit structure layer 130. The electronicelement 140 is disposed on the plurality of first conductive pads 134 ofthe circuit structure layer 130 and is electrically connected to thecircuit structure layer 130 through the plurality of first conductivepads 134. In some embodiments, a back surface 140 a of the electronicelement 140 faces away from the circuit structure layer 130 (and/or thefirst conductive pads 134), and a surface 140 b of the electronicelement 140 faces the circuit structure layer 130 (and/or the firstconductive pads 134). That is, the electronic element 140 may bedisposed on the first side 130 a of the circuit structure layer 130 in aflip-chip manner, but it is not limited. In some embodiments, theelectronic element 140 includes an active element. For instance, theelectronic element 140 includes a switch element, a driver circuit,and/or other circuits, but it is not limited. A material of theelectronic element 140 includes monocrystalline silicon orpolycrystalline silicon, but it is not limited. In some embodiments, theelectronic element 140 may include a Si-based complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor driver IC (Si-base CMOS driver IC), but it isnot limited. In some embodiments, the electronic element 140 includes adie. In other embodiments, a plurality of the electronic elements 140may be disposed on the first conductive pads 134 of the circuitstructure layer 130, and the electronic elements 140 may be electricallyconnected to the first conductive pads 134.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B together, step S3 isperformed. A package structure 150 is disposed (or arranged) on theelectronic element 140 and the first side 130 a of the circuit structurelayer 130, the electronic element 140 to be embedded or encapsulated inthe package structure 150. To be specific, the package structure 150covers the electronic element 140 and at least a portion of the firstside 130 a of the circuit structure layer 130, but not limited Thepackage structure 150 may fill in or be disposed in a gap between theelectronic element 140 and the circuit structure layer 130 (e.g., thefirst conductive pads 134) to improve bonding between the electronicelement 140 and the circuit structure layer 130. In some embodiments, anunderfill (not shown) or other suitable materials may be used to replacea portion of the package structure 150 to fill in or be disposed in thegap between the electronic element 140 and the circuit structure layer130, but it is not limited. In some embodiments, the package structure150 may include a molding material such as an epoxy molding compound(EMC), but it is not limited. For instance, a material of the packagestructure 150 includes but not limited to epoxy adhesive resin, asilicon dioxide filler, an additive, other suitable materials, or acombination of the above. In some embodiments, the package structure 150includes a single layer structure or a composite layer structure.

In some embodiments, the package structure 150 has a first thickness T1,and the first thickness T1 may be defined by a distance between a firstsurface 150 a (a surface away from the circuit structure layer 130) anda second surface 150 b (a surface adjacent to the circuit structurelayer 130) of the package structure 150. The electronic element 140 hasa second thickness T2, and the second thickness T2 may be defined by adistance between the back surface 140 a (a surface away from the circuitstructure layer 130) and the surface 140 b (a surface adjacent to thecircuit structure layer 130) of the electronic element 140. In someembodiments, the first thickness T1 is greater than the second thicknessT2 (first thickness T1>second thickness T2). In some embodiments, thefirst thickness T1 is greater than or equal to 1.5 times the secondthickness T2 (first thickness T1≥1.5×second thickness T2) or the firstthickness T1 is greater than or equal to 2 times the second thickness T2(first thickness T1≥2×second thickness T2). As such, the packagestructure 150 may act as a support base of the electronic device 100,and other substrates configured for supporting are not required to bedisposed in the electronic device 100, but the disclosure is not limitedthereto.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C together, step S4is performed. After the package structure 150 is disposed on theelectronic element 140 and the first side 130 a of the circuit structurelayer 130, the carrier substrate 110 and/or the release layer 120 isremoved to expose the second side 130 b of the circuit structure layer130 and/or the second conductive pads 135. In some embodiments, therelease layer 120 and the carrier substrate 110 are removed by but notlimited to laser. In some embodiments, the release layer 120 and thecarrier substrate 110 are removed through the same or different methods.In some embodiments, the release layer 120 and the carrier substrate 110are removed in the same or different steps. FIG. 2C is a state after therelease layer 120 and/or the carrier substrate 110 is removed and thestructure is turned upside down. Herein, the package structure 150 mayact as the support base of the electronic device 100, and othersubstrates configured for supporting are not required, but thedisclosure is not limited thereto.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2D, and FIG. 3 together, step S5is performed. A plurality of function elements 160 are disposed (orarranged) on the second side 130 b of the circuit structure layer 130,and the plurality of function elements 160 are electrically connected tothe electronic element 140 through the circuit structure layer 130. Tobe specific, the pads 161 of the plurality of function elements 160 aredisposed on the second conductive pads 135 of the circuit structurelayer 130, and the plurality of function elements 160 (e.g., the pads161) may be electrically connected to the circuit structure layer 130through the plurality of second conductive pads 135.

Herein, the electronic element 140 and the circuit structure layer 130,at least one of plurality of the function elements 160 are overlapped ina normal direction Y (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the packagestructure 150) of the electronic device 100. Besides, the electronicelement 140 and the function elements 160 are disposed at two oppositesides of the circuit structure layer 130, the function elements 160 maybe electrically connected to the electronic element 140 verticallythrough the circuit structure layer 130. That is, a signal provided bythe electronic element 140 may be transmitted to the function elements160 vertically through the circuit structure layer 130 to control thefunction elements 160.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 , the function elements 160 may be arranged onthe circuit structure layer 130 in a matrix, but it is not limited. Insome embodiments, one of the plurality of function elements 160 mayinclude a light emitting element or a sensing element, but it is notlimited. For instance, the light emitting element includes the lightemitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors, such as a red LED, a greenLED, a blue LED, and/or a white LED, but it is not limited. The lightemitting element may include a blue LED or an UV LED with a lightconversion material, and the light conversion material may include a QD,fluorescence, phosphor, other suitable materials, or a combination ofthe above, but it is not limited. As such, in this embodiment, a regionprovided with the function elements 160 may be defined as a functionregion of the electronic device 100, and the function region may includea display surface, a light emitting surface, and a sensing surface, forexample.

In short, the electronic device 100 provided by this embodiment includesthe circuit structure layer 130, the package structure 150, theelectronic element 140, and the function elements 160. The circuitstructure layer 130 has the first side 130 a and the second side 130 bopposite to the first side 130 a. The package structure 150 is disposedon the first side 130 a of the circuit structure layer 130. Theelectronic element 140 is embedded or encapsulated in the packagestructure 150. The function elements 160 are disposed on the second side130 b of the circuit structure layer 130. The function elements 160 areelectrically connected to the electronic element 140 through the circuitstructure layer 130. Besides, the electronic element 140 and thefunction elements 160 in the electronic device 100 are disposed at twoopposite sides of the circuit structure layer 130, the function elements160 may be electrically connected to the electronic element 140vertically (i.e., the normal direction Y of the electronic device 100)through the circuit structure layer 130. Therefore, compared to anexisting electronic device is which the peripheral circuit region (i.e.,the border) of the function surface (e.g., the display surface) isrequired to be disposed in the electronic element, the electronic device100 provided by this embodiment exhibits a borderless (or narrow border)design or has a large function surface (e.g., a display surface) Inaddition, in the fabrication method of the electronic device 100provided by this embodiment, the electronic element 140 is disposed onthe circuit structure layer 130 after the circuit structure layer 130 isfabricated. In this way, compared to an electronic device in which thecircuit structure layer is fabricated after the electronic element isdisposed, the problem of waste of the electronic element 140 may beimproved through the fabrication method of the electronic device 100.

In addition, although one electronic element 140 is shown in theelectronic device 100, the disclosure is not limit a number of theelectronic element. In some embodiments, the number of the electronicelement in the electronic device may be two or greater than two.Accordingly, different electronic elements may be used to beelectrically connected to different function elements, and that thedifferent electronic elements may control different function elements.

It should be noted that the reference numerals and a part of thecontents in the previous embodiment are used in the followingembodiments, in which identical reference numerals indicate identical orsimilar components, and repeated description of the same technicalcontents is omitted. Please refer to the descriptions of the previousembodiment for the omitted contents, which will not be repeatedhereinafter.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an electronic deviceaccording to another embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 2D and FIG. 4 together, an electronic device 100 a provided by thisembodiment is similar to the electronic device 100 in FIG. 2D, so thatdescription of identical or similar members in the two embodiments isnot repeated. The difference between the electronic device 100 a and theelectronic device 100 is that the electronic device 100 a furtherincludes a protection layer 170. A material of the protection layer 170includes a transparent material, a moisture or oxygen barrier material,or a combination of the above, but it is not limited. In someembodiments, a material of the protection layer 170 may include anorganic material, an inorganic material, or a combination of the above,but it is not limited.

To be specific, with reference to FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, theprotection layer 170 may be disposed on the second side 130 b of thecircuit structure layer 130 and the plurality of function elements 160.In some embodiments, the protection layer 170 may cover the plurality offunction elements 160 and/or at least a portion of the circuit structurelayer 130 (e.g., the second side 130 b). In some embodiments, theprotection layer 170 may cover the plurality of second conductive pads.

In other embodiments (not shown), the protection layer 170 may exposethe portions of the function elements 160 (e.g., surfaces of thefunction elements 160 away from the circuit structure layer 130) and/orthe second side 130 b of the circuit structure layer 130. In otherembodiments (not shown) the protection layer 170 has to cover the pads161 of the function elements 160 and the second conductive pads 135. Thepads 161 and/or the second conductive pads 135 are protected through theprotection layer 170, the pads 161 and/or the second conductive pads 135may not be corroded by water and oxygen.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an electronic deviceaccording to another embodiment of the disclosure. With reference toFIG. 4 and FIG. 5 together, an electronic device 200 is similar to theelectronic device 100 a in FIG. 4 , so that description of identical orsimilar members in the two embodiments is not repeated. The differencebetween the electronic device 200 and the electronic device 100 a isthat the electronic device 200 includes a plurality of electronicdevices 100 a (FIG. 5 depicts 2 electronic devices 100 a, but it is notlimited). To be specific, with reference to FIG. 5 , in the electronicdevice 200, a plurality of electronic devices 100 a are spliced togetherthrough a seamless splicing manner. A splicing line L is a splicingposition of adjacent electronic devices 100 a. In other embodiments (notshown), several splicing seams may be located between the electronicdevices 100 a, and attachment structures (or protection structures) maybe selectively disposed in the splicing seams for fixing or protectingadjacent electronic devices 100 a.

In view of the above, in the electronic device and the fabricationmethod thereof provided by the embodiments of the disclosure, theelectronic element is embedded or encapsulated in the package structure.Further, the electronic element and the function elements are disposedat two opposite sides of the circuit structure layer, the functionelements may be electrically connected to the electronic elementvertically (i.e., the normal direction of the electronic device) throughthe circuit structure layer. Therefore, compared to an existingelectronic device is which the peripheral circuit region (i.e., theborder) of the function surface (e.g., the display surface) is requiredto be disposed in the electronic element, the electronic device providedby this embodiment exhibits a borderless (or narrow border) design orhas a large function surface (e.g., a display surface) In addition, inthe fabrication method of the electronic device provided by thedisclosure, the electronic element is disposed on the circuit structurelayer 130 after the circuit structure layer is disposed. In this way,compared to an existing electronic device in which the circuit structurelayer is disposed after the electronic element is disposed, the problemof waste of the electronic element may be improved through thefabrication method of the electronic device.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view ofthe above, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications andvariations provided that they fall within the scope of the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a circuitstructure layer, comprising a circuit layer and a plurality of firstconductive pads; a package structure, disposed on the circuit structurelayer; and an electronic element, embedded in the package structure andelectrically connected to the circuit layer through the plurality offirst conductive pads; wherein a thickness of the package structure isgreater than or equal to 1.5 times a thickness of the electronicelement.
 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein thepackage structure covers the electronic element and at least a portionof a first side of the circuit structure layer.
 3. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the package structure comprises a singlelayer structure.
 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, whereinthe package structure comprises a molding material, and the moldingmaterial comprises an epoxy molding compound.
 5. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first conductive pads arelocated at a first side of the circuit structure layer, the circuitstructure layer further comprises a plurality of second conductive padslocated at a second side of the circuit structure layer, and the secondside is opposite to the first side.
 6. The electronic device accordingto claim 5, wherein the circuit structure layer further comprises aplurality of dielectric layers and a plurality of conductive viaspenetrate through at least one dielectric layer, the plurality of firstconductive pads are electrically connected to the plurality of secondconductive pads through the plurality of conductive vias and the circuitlayer.
 7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein thepackage structure acts as a support base of the electronic device.